Vacancy for Research Assistant in Evidence Synthesis - CLOSED

LSTM’s department of Clinical Sciences has an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant to join the team working as part of the “Research, Evidence and Development Initiative” (READ-It).

Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases.

LSTM’S Centre for Evidence Synthesis in Global Health leads developments in evidence synthesis for tropical medicine and global health. In the 1990s, we helped establish Cochrane. We now run the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG), with over 150 Cochrane reviews and 600 authors throughout the world; we work closely with the World Health Organization and we co-ordinate a global evidence ecosystem, with active partner programmes in South Africa, India and Sri Lanka. As part of this, we are recruiting staff as part of a six year “Research, Evidence and Development Initiative” (READ-It) programme. The successful applicant will be part of this process and be part of review teams in the existing and new review portfolio. Our priorities are developing rapidly, and we are seeking to engage the successful applicant in a high-priority area commensurate with their areas of interest. For example, some topics we have include:

rapid diagnostic tests in malaria

triple therapy in filariasis

Public health aspects of tampon use

Short course management of latent TB

Qualitative synthesis

There are also a variety of methodological projects related to Cochrane (review updating, conflicts of interest, statistical reporting); and methods for moving from evidence to policy, including how WHO use aspects of human rights in guideline development. We aim for a mixed portfolio to provide a broad exposure to evidence informed science.

The ideal candidate will have a Masters in epidemiology, public health, or clinical tropical medicine, and have good quantitative skills. You will have experience in evidence synthesis in topics related to biomedical or social science research in low- and middle-income countries and have confidence in critically appraising medical literature at postgraduate level.

You need to have completed a systematic review or an applied research project. You need clear evidence of critical insight into priority policy questions in international health relevant to infectious diseases.

Demonstrating initiative, commitment, organisational skills, and the ability to meet deadlines is essential; as is a flexible approach to work with the ability to work independently or as part of a diverse team.

If you have authored a Cochrane review, have experience of using GRADE, or have a track record in published research, it will be an added advantage to your application.

This job is unlikely to attract a Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship (formerly a work permit). Applications from candidates who require Tier 2 immigration status to work in the UK may not be considered if there are a sufficient number of other suitable candidates. To apply for a Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship, employers need to demonstrate that they are unable to recruit a resident worker before recruiting an individual overseas. For further information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration